House Republicans try to rebrand their tired talking points as an exciting new vision for the nation

House Republicans are trying to replay 1994 by rolling out a “Commitment to America,” in a calculated echo of the “Contract with America.” There are differences, though. In 1994, House Republicans were led by Newt Gingrich, the "dumb person's idea of a smart person," and his Contract with America pretended to wonkery. In 2022, House Republicans are led by Kevin McCarthy, who many observers say is not very smart, and the Commitment to America does not pretend to be much more than a series of talking points.

In 2022, Republicans are also blatantly trying to change the subject from public rage over the end of legal abortion in many states and from the apparent theft of nuclear secrets by their party’s leader. The Commitment to America is basically an official formulation of the talking points Republican candidates have kept trying to shift back to for the past few months.

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